What is Talent Pipeline?

By Abhishek Kathpal | Updated 07 August, 2022

In the past, recruiting involved being proactive. When job requirements altered and openings appeared, recruiters were entrusted with filling the gaps. However, much has changed recently in that area as forward-thinking teams adopt a more proactive approach to hiring, actively considering their company's future hiring needs and what they can do to support them. This recruitment strategy's pipeline is a key element.

What is Talent Pipeline

Talent Pipeline meaning and definition

A group of individuals who are seeking jobs makes up a talent pipeline. Internal employees who might be considered for promotion are frequently prospects in a talent pipeline, as are external applicants who have interacted with your company through a job application, job board, talent community, or recruiting event.

Talent pipeline and talent pool are terms that are frequently used interchangeably. When used interchangeably, their distinctions can occasionally become hazy. However, there is one key distinction: A talent pool is a term used to describe a bigger number of potential work opportunities. Candidates that have been identified as prospects and are present in a company's database are included in talent pools because they have not yet undergone sufficient screening to be accepted into a talent pipeline.

How to build a talent pipeline

It takes a lot of work and active management of an organization's human resources to create the optimum talent pipeline. It takes more than just having a framework or structure for the hiring process to build a talent pipeline within a business. The hard work is in building talent pipelines with the right skill sets, which calls for both strategic planning and efficient recruiting management systems. Therefore, creating a functional framework has a benefit. The essential actions to take while creating a talent pipeline architecture are:

a) Determine the long-term objectives and requirements of the business.

Learn everything there is to know about the strategic course that your company has followed. In other words, take into account the positions that need to be filled immediately while also making plans for future development or changes that could affect your workforce needs.

b) Create a candidate sourcing plan to fill your pipeline.

Once you've established what your company needs, it's time to fill your talent pipeline. Naturally, this procedure is continuous. A constant activity that necessitates an active talent search is filling your pipeline. Candidate sourcing is the activity of looking for candidates directly as opposed to waiting for them to apply. A few resources are listed below.

I. Social sourcing like LinkedIn and other social platforms

II. Referrals

III. Networking eventsIV. Recruiting databases

c) Make contact with fresh candidates.Now is the time to begin building relationships with the people you have selected. You are not presently contacting candidates to request their application for a specific job. Instead, you want to create a sincere, spontaneous connection that you can then cultivate over time. During your initial discussions, get to know the people in your pipeline. Inquire carefully about their goals, prior encounters, and planned actions. Build relationships with potential customers early on who might not be willing to consider a new stance to gain their trust.

d) Check out your talent pool.

It's time to determine whether their skills match those required by your business. When evaluating your skill pool, take into account the following queries.

I. Is the applicant a suitable fit for your company's culture?

II. Will their prior experiences be relevant for a possible job at your business?

III. Can your business meet its wants and goals?

Benefits of creating a talent pipeline?

Filling talent pipelines comes with several benefits that help distinguish an organization's workforce and overall productivity. Here are a few of the main advantages of developing a talent pipeline:

a) Shorten the hiring process.

b) Enhance the application process.

c) It can open up a flow of quality candidate referrals.

d) It allows an organization to adequately measure each candidate to ascertain their fit for prospective roles.

e) You will be able to identify more and higher-quality recruiting targets.

g) Higher retention rates among new hires.

h) Higher offer acceptance rates.

i) Critical open positions will be filled more rapidly.

j) You will provide your firm with a competitive advantage.

k) It helps to overcome a weak employer brand or location.

Common issues with talent pipeline management

The next great recruit may be found within an organization's talent pipeline, which is a huge benefit and value. A pipeline is necessary for a successful hiring process, but that doesn't mean everything goes as planned. Additionally, being aware of potential problems may enable you to address them and improve the success of your hiring efforts.

a)The pipeline isn't diverse enough.

b)Candidates dropping out of the pipeline.

c)Lack of quality engagement with candidates.

d)Poor recruitment process.

e)Outdated talent pipeline management.

f)The pipeline is populated with unqualified candidates.

g) Poor employer branding.

About the Author

Abhishek Kathpal

Abhi is the co-founder at Longlist.io. Funded by US based OnDeck, Longlist is currently enabling 50+ businesses to increase their candidate and client reach outs, automating the workflow across stages.